Passengers on a Delta CRJ 900 regional jet operated by Endeavor Airlines weren’t happy to have their travel plans suddenly re-arranged but any plane crash you can walk away from is a good thing. This collision between two jets happened on the ground but it was serious, nonetheless.
No passengers injured
Delta was quick to issue a statement noting that none of the passengers on either of their planes were injured in the crash. Both “were taxiing for takeoff from Atlanta’s busy Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday morning.”
On September 10, the wingtip of an A350 Airbus “came into contact” with another Delta flight operated by one of their regional partners, Endeavor Airlines.
Passengers from the regional flight “were taken back to the terminal by bus.” That’s when they got their first good look at what happened.
All it took was a glancing blow to knock the vertical tail section clean off the fuselage. The wingtip on the other jet is obviously not airworthy. That doesn’t inspire confidence from the flying public.
Photos quickly went viral on social media. The passengers were all snapping images that “show the vertical tail of the regional flight separated from the rest of the airplane flanked by airport rescue vehicles.”
They’re going to be a little late arriving at their destination.
Placed on alternate flights
Delta rushed to get another two planes in service and announced that affected passengers would “be placed on alternate flights.”
They note that 221 people on the Airbus and another 56 on the regional jet will all be getting some free upgrade coupons. Their luggage might take a while to catch up with them, they admit.
According to publicly available records from the FAA, “the impacted runway is closed and several taxiways nearby are also closed.” That means passengers from all the other airlines are just as disgruntled.
The FAA is investigating, along with the National Transportation Safety Board “and other authorities.” There have been way too many serious safety incidents lately and most of them have been attached to Delta.
The airline issued a formal statement explaining what happened. “While Delta Air Lines Flight 295 was taxiing for departure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, its wingtip struck the tail of Endeavor Air Flight 5526. The Delta Airbus A350 was headed to Tokyo. The Endeavor Bombardier CRJ900 was headed to Lafayette, Louisiana.”
Passengers don’t really care what happened, they’re simply upset that it happened to them. They’re really afraid of what else might happen before they get where they’re going.
